The Good Long Road follows my journey through motherhood as a writer and producer. You'll find musings on motherhood, creative activities to do with your kids, and excerpts and sneak peeks from my current books and films.

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Mostly Meatless Meal Plan: Portobello Mushroom Philly Cheese "Steaks"

Heart Healthy Daddy + Kid Approved Meals

Graphic Designed with the Help of Wild Thing (4.5 years-old)

Meatless Monday - Portobello Mushroom Philly Cheese "Steak"

I've featured these Portobello Mushroom Philly Cheese Steaks on the meal plan before, but have not included our specific recipe yet. It is my adaption of this recipe from A Hint of Honey. I've had lots of requests for my recipe, so here it is with pictures! This recipe is for two servings, since I can't get the boys to go for mushrooms yet.

Slice half of a red (or green) bell pepper and half of an onion in long strips.

Sautee in olive oil for 3-5 minutes on medium heat.

While the pepper and onions are cooking, slice 2-4 mushroom caps (you can also buy them already sliced).

Drizzle with a bit more olive oil and add garlic powder, black pepper and herbs of choice.

Let the mushrooms sweat down for about 3-5 minutes on medium heat, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, turn your oven to broil and toast your sub rolls. (Most recipes don't suggest pre-toasting, but I find it keeps the rolls from getting soggy when you add the juicy mushrooms).

I love this Bragg Soy Sauce Alternative that is low in sodium and has no MSG.

Reduce heat and add soy sauce (I use Bragg's Alternative Soy), red wine and a bit more oil. I'm awful about measurements. I always eyeball it (probably 2 TBS of the soy and red wine, but 1/2 TBS of oil at this stage). If you don't have wine, you can use red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar. Finally, toss in some panko bread crumbs (or flour) -- about 1 TBS to add some crunch or to thicken your sauce.

The key is to give your mushrooms enough cook time to darken and cook through thoroughly. You made need to add liquid as you go (the soy sauce or wine works fine).

This shows you how dark the mushrooms should be.

This is my favorite part - add the cheese, then put back under the broil to melt the cheese.

We use mozzarella - either shredded or slices.

ENJOY!! Even my meat-loving husband absolutely devours these and requests them usually once a week.

Confession: On Monday, the boys will have their own sandwich (peanut butter or ham as they don't eat mushroom). On Tuesday, I have to give them plain rice and then veggies separated out - broccoli, carrots, etc. Wednesday - Cobb Salad Rainbow Dinner inspired by some of our favorite rainbow books. We've been reading rainbow and color books, which inspired our rainbow eating ideas. These books got my boys interested in exploring colorful fruits and veggies: Rainbow Stew by Catherine Farwell, Planting A Rainbow by Lois Ehlert, My Colors/Mis Colores by Rebecca Emberley and Freight Train by Donald Crew.

Cobb Salads are a perfect rainbow meal: green lettuce, red/pink ham or bacon, orange/red tomatoes, purple cabbage or purple onions, green avocado, and yellow corn. For the boys, we deconstruct it a bit -- and also make them fun rainbow grazing plates.

Thursday - Low Cholesterol Mushroom "Sausage" Pizza with Rainbow Veggies on the Side Since we're trying to eat less meat, we're getting creative. As you noticed, all of our other meals this week barely had any meat (none on Monday, shrimp on Tuesday and just a little bit of ham on Wednesday). For Thursday, we swapped out the sausage we usually put on our mushroom-sausage pizza using Morningstar Breakfast Sausage Patties instead. I just crumbled them on top of the pizza. I also went very light on the cheese to keep this pizza low cholesterol.

We called this Mario Pizza (as in Super Mario Bros.) and got the boys to eat it!

On the side, we also had a rainbow veggie medley.

I mixed the green basil in with plain yogurt to make a yummy dip.

Friday - Keep it Simple! This usually means we eat leftovers or enjoy a classic standby - popcorn, fruit and cheese. What's for dinner at your house tonight? Do you plan meals or roll with it? What's your favorite meatless recipe? I'd love to know!

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